Category: Species Guide: Common Urban Trees

Common name: Trumpet Tree

Malay name: Pokok Trompet Mawar

Scientific name: Tabebuia pentaphylla

Conservation status: Cultivated, Naturalised, Introduced (Central & South America)

Description

A medium-sized or large tree that sheds leaves seasonally. There are five pointed leaves per leaf stalk. Flowers are pink or white, trumpet-shaped and five-petaled. Flowering is triggered by dry season. Produces long, slender fruits that split open when mature.

Habit: Perennial tree

Cultivation: It is planted by seeds,stem cuttings or air-layering

Ecological function: Provide shade

Pollinator: –

Soil: Sand, loam, clay

Moisture: Well-drained, fertile soils

Shade: No shade

Use: Ornamental, timber

Interesting fact: In Malaysia, this tree is known as the “Cherry Blossoms of Penang” after its pink flowers which are much like the cherry blossoms of Japan. Other local nicknames for the plant include “tissue paper tree”, referring to its thin petals. Flowers form a spectacular pink carpet on the ground around the tree when it falls.

Common name: Indian Almond, Tropical Almond Tree

Malay name: Ketapang

Scientific name: Terminalia catappa

Conservation status: Cultivated, Native to Malaysia

Description

A large tree that grows up to 35 m tall. It is shaped liake a pagoda and sheds leaves twice a year. Leaves are spirally arranged, reverse-egg-shaped, papery to thinly leathery, dark green above and yellow-green below. The leaves turn red before falling. Bears small, fragrant, whitish flowers. Produces flat, egg-shaped fruits with a stony core that turns from green to yellow or red when ripe.

Habit: Perennial tree

Cultivation: It is planted by seeds

Ecological function: The flowers attract pollinators. Fruits are eaten by bats

Pollinator: Insects

Soil: Sand, loam, clay. It can tolerate saline soils

Moisture: Moist, well-drained soil. The tree is drought-tolerant

Shade: No shade, semi-shade

Use: Edible (fruits), ornamental

Common name: African tulip

Malay name: Pancut-pancut

Scientific name: Spathodea campanulata

Conservation status: Least concerned, Cultivated, Introduced (Tropical Africa)

Description

A medium-sized tree that grows 16-30 m tall. Tree crown is oval and bushy. Bear clusters of large, showy flowers. Flowers are somewhat bell-shaped, lobed, orange-red. Produces woody capsules that split when mature.

Habit: Perennial tree

Cultivation: It is planted by seeds, cuttings, grafting or root suckers

Ecological function: The large, bell-shaped flowers attract pollinators like birds. The tree is shade-providing. It is used for soil improvement, reforestation and erosion control. It is planted as a living fence. The leaves of this tree make a useful mulch.

Pollinator: Birds, bats

Soil: Loamy soils

Moisture: Well-drained, fertile soils

Shade: No shade

Use: Ornamental

Common name: Rain Tree, Monkey Pod

Malay name: Pukul Lima, Hujan-Hujan

Scientific name: Samanea saman

Conservation status: Least concerned, Cultivated, Introduced (Tropical Americas)

Description

A medium-sized tree that grows up to 30 m tall. Tree crown is spreading and umbrella-shaped. Leaves are doubly divided, fold up in early morning and during cloudy days. It bears clusters of fluffy flowers with pink tips and white bases. Flowers are slightly fragrant. It produces seedpods that are black and break into segments when mature.

Habit: Perennial tree

Cultivation: It is planted by seeds, stumps or cuttings

Ecological function: The flowers attract pollinators. The tree is nitrogen-fixing i.e. able to convert atmospheric nitrogen into more usable form in soil. It provides shade. The prunings of this tree can be used as green manure to improve soil fertility. In Thailand, it is used as a host plant for Lac Insect (Laccifer lacca).

Pollinator: Bees

Soil: Sand, loam, clay. It can tolerate heavy clay and poor soils

Moisture: Dry, moist, wet soils. This tree is drought-tolerant

Shade: No shade, semi-shade

Use: Edible (fruit), timber

Common name: Earleaf Acacia, Black Wattle

Malay name: Akasia Kuning

Scientific name: Acacia auriculiformis

Conservation status: Least concerned, Cultivated, Naturalised, Introduced (Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia)

Description

A medium-sized tree that grows up to 30 m tall. Tree crown is dense and irregular. Stems are crooked and twisted. Leaves are shiny and sickle-shaped. Bears rods of yellow flowers. Produces woody, twisted pods.

Habit: Perennial tree

Cultivation: It is planted by seeds, cutting or air-layering

Ecological function: The flowers attract pollinators. The tree provides shade for other shade-loving plants. It is nitrogen-fixing i.e. convert atmospheric nitrogen into more usable form in soil. This tree is planted to control soil erosion.

Pollinator: Insects

Soil: Sand, loam, clay. It can tolerate saline soils

Moisture: Well-drained soils

Shade: No shade

Use: Timber (charcoal & paper pulp)